Bill-of-fare indicator



(N0 Model.)

E. S. SUTTON.

BILL 0I PARI INDICATOR.

/NyTOR ATTORN EYS WITN ESSES NA PETERS, FhnlLimogmphar, wmv-imm n. c.

UNrTnn STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EUGENE S. SUTTON, OF WILDWOOD, WISCONSIN.

BILL-OF-FARE INDICATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent. No. 297,094, dated April15, 1884. Application filed September 8, 1883. (No model.)

T LZZ whom it may concern.:

Be it known that I, E. S. SUTTON, a citizen of the United States,residingatWildwood, in the county of St. Groix and State of VViscon;sin, have invented certain new and useful Iniprovements in Bill-of-FareIndicators; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and eX-act description of the invention, such as will enable others skilledinthe art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference beinghad to the accompanying drawings, and to letters or figures of referencemarked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a representation of this invention, and is afront view. Fig. 2 is a portion of the device, and is a longitudinalsection taken in the direction of linea a: on Fig. l. Fig. 3 is ahorizontal section taken in the direction of line y y on Fig. 1. Fig. 4is a view showing a portion of the invention with the guard-stripsbroken away.

This invention has relation to a bill'of fare for hotel, restaurant, anddining-room uses; and it consists in the construction and novelarrangement of devices, as will be hereinafter fully described, andparticularly pointed out in the claim appended.

Referring by letter to the accompanying drawings, a designates the bodyof my improved bill of fare, which may be made of any suitable material,and in any suitable design of ornamentation, with the name of the houseand proprietor, Src., printed thereon. It"`is preferably made of twosheets of material stamped out to form the outline, the perforations,the slot-s for alternate slide-pins, the perforations being for theremovable pins, and to form the seats for the removable slidestrips. Theinner ends of the seats for the slide-slips are covered by a strip ofsuitable material, a strip being used ateach end to form guards to holdthe sliding strips in place in their seats. The spaces between the seatsfor the slide-strips are of the same width as the slide-strips, and onthese spaces are printed the names of those articles of table food thatare more commonly placed on the table. On the removable slips areprinted the names of dishes that are more frequently changed, and

5o a sufficient number of these strips are provided to print the namesof all the dishes that are furnished at the table for any and all meals.The waiter hands theibill of fare to the guest, who selects from it whathe desires for the meal, and places a pin in the perforation oppositethe strip containing the article he wants, and when he has concluded hisselection the waiter will carry the bill of fare to the cook, who cansee What has beenv ordered by reading the names opposite the pegs. Whenit is desired to change the bill of fare, those slips containing thenames of articles not wanted by the cook can be removed, and those slipscontaining the names of the articles wanted may be substituted. The endsof the removable slips project as shown. I

b designates the stationary strips, c the seats between them for theremovable sliding strips d, and e e are the guard-strips over the endsof the seats c. The order row of perforations f is along the innerguard-strip, c. The other row of perforations, g, is parallel theretoand a short distance therefrom.

h designates the slots in which the sliding pegs t' move. k are theremovable pegs. The slots and sliding pins are opposite the stationarystrips, and can only be moved up to them, while the others may be movedindiscriminatcly.

It is obvious that the sliding strips may be removed and their seatsleft vacant, if desired.

This is a convenient bill of fare, and does not require to be printedevery day, as in the old way.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is

A bill --of -fare indicator composed of the perforated sheets securedtogether and provided with the stationary printed strips b, theintervening seats c, the guard-strips e e, the removable slide-strips d,printed as described, the slide-pins i, and the alternate removable pinsk, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

EUGENE S. SUTTON.

Witnesses:

DAvID Ross, REUBEN ADAMS.

